RF coil and magnetic resonance imaging apparatus

Abstract

For the purpose of making available an RF coil which makes possible a reduction in elements to be controlled in varying the size of the RF coil, there are provided an original loop unit, a conductor so connected to the original loop unit as to split the original loop unit into split loop units, a capacitor connected in series to the conductor, and switching means which makes the conductor either conductive or non-conductive, wherein the electrostatic capacitance of the capacitor is so set as not to allow the split loop units to interfere with each other when the conductor is made conductive by the switching means.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of Japanese Application No. 2006-087980 filed Mar. 28, 2006.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to an RF coil and a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus.[0003]There are known magnetic resonance imaging apparatuses whose RF coils are made variable in size to save the trouble of RF coil reinstallation or replacement to alter the size of the field of view (FOV) (see Patent Document 1 for example). The RF coil disclosed in Patent Document 1 is shown in FIG. 6 in a partially abridged way. According to Patent Document 1, a conductor 504 is provided to split a loop unit 501 into a loop unit 502 and a loop unit 503. The loop unit 502 is provided with a receiver unit 505, the conductor 504 is provided with a switch 506 for changing over the conductance state, and the loop unit 503 is provided with a switch 507 for changing over the conductance state. And, while reception by the loop un...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention provides an RF coil and a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus that can reduce the number of elements needed to change the size of the RF coil. The RF coil has a conductor that splits the original loop unit into multiple units, and an electrostatic capacitance element connected to the conductor to prevent interference between the units. The electrostatic capacitance element is designed to equalize the resonance frequency of the original loop unit and any other split loop units or receivers. The invention also includes a switching means to make the conductor either conductive or non-conductive. A receiver unit can be added to amplify the magnetic resonance signals received from the relevant split loop unit or the original loop unit. The invention provides a more efficient and flexible way to design and operate RF coils for magnetic resonance imaging."

Problems solved by technology

However, the technique described above, as it uses two switches, invites complexity of control and an increase in the number of components.

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